Suns at Trail Blazers
The Phoenix Suns are surprisingly frisky in the Western Conference but are doing the bulk of their damage at home, where they are 4-0. The Suns will look to carry some of that momentum out onto the road when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Phoenix figured to be in rebuilding mode but is getting strong performances from the likes of Eric Bledsoe, Miles Plumlee and Markieff Morris and already knocked off the Trail Blazers once.
The Suns opened the regular season with a 104-91 home win over Portland and will get the chance to prove that their fast start is for real with eight of the next 12 games on the road. The Trail Blazers bounced back from that opening setback with wins in five of their next six and took their third straight with a 109-103 win over Detroit on Monday. Damian Lillard, who had 32 points in the loss to Phoenix on Oct. 30, put up 25 against the Pistons - the fifth time in seven games that he scored at least 22.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona (Phoenix), CSN Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE SUNS (5-2): The most amazing thing about Phoenix’s early success is that it has come mostly without Goran Dragic and Alex Len, the No. 5 pick in last June’s draft. Len (ankle) missed the last five games and remains day-to-day, though his absence opened things up for Plumlee and Morris to thrive in expanded minutes. Dragic, who returned in Sunday’s 101-94 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans after sitting out three games with his own ankle issues, is working well in the backcourt along with Bledsoe, who is averaging 20.9 points and 7.3 assists in his breakout campaign. “We need Goran,” Bledsoe said. “Both of us can make plays.”
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (5-2): Portland is leaning on second-year stud Lillard and All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, though the supporting cast is stepping up when needed. Wesley Matthews had a stretch of five straight games scoring 18 or more points come to an end with three against the Pistons, but Mo Williams stepped up off the bench to pick up the slack with 17 points. “I think guys are coming back and being more comfortable,” Aldridge said of the team’s hot start. “Just being in this system another year, I feel like guys are just growing. Guys are fitting in well.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Blazers have knocked down at least eight 3-pointers in each of their seven games, the longest streak for the team since the 3-point line was added in 1979-80.
2. Morris is averaging 24.7 points on 30-of-38 shooting over the last three games for the Suns.
3. Phoenix has taken four of the last five meetings, including a 102-98 win in its last trip to Portland on Feb. 19, 2013.